


To Get Through

by kayliaamil



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Amortentia, Ball, Draco Malfoy Redemption, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gryffindor Reader, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Hogwarts Library, Hogwarts Prefect Draco Malfoy, Hogwarts Prefects, Libraries, Partners in Potions Class (Harry Potter), Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Potions, Reader-Insert, Redemption, The Golden Trio, first name basis, half-blood reader, hogsmede, tom felton - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:53:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27571846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kayliaamil/pseuds/kayliaamil
Summary: "Cause I found what I need to get through,and it's you."***Everyone is back to finish their seventh year at Hogwarts, including Draco Malfoy and the Golden Trio. No one expected to see him again anytime soon after the Battle of Hogwarts, and no one reacts kindly to seeing him again so soon, but Y/N is willing to give him a chance.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Reader, Draco Malfoy/You, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 9
Kudos: 50





	1. Welcome Back

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Believe it or not, I get to write this fanfiction as my final exam in one of my college courses! It's also published on Wattpad (https://www.wattpad.com/story/247082458-to-get-through-a-draco-malfoy-reader-insert) and I'll be presenting about the story from whichever it does best on as audience engagement is part of that presentation. That's just a disclaimer that I know it's on both domains, now enjoy the story!

"I want to start off by welcoming all of you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," newly appointed Headmistress Minerva McGonagall announced to all the students dining in the Great Hall. "Whether you are a brand-new face to these old halls, or a survivor of the terrors this school has so recently faced, we are grateful to see you here."

Slightly less than a year after what the Daily Prophet has coined "The Battle of Hogwarts" took place at the school, the magical halls have opened back up to all. New students seeking to learn magic were sent their acceptance letters, and students who had already been enrolled at the school were sent letters stating that the school was ready to further develop their magical skills if they so chose.

Even those that were in their last year at Hogwarts when the battle occurred were given the opportunity to return and repeat their previous year, which is how the school's "Golden Trio" found themselves seated in the Great Hall. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger sat at the Gryffindor table surrounded by some of their oldest and closest friends who had returned to finish their seventh year as well, including Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, and you.

You had essentially become an honorary member of the trio as you knew Harry before either of you officially attended Hogwarts. You lived across the street from one another and you played with Harry outside, often serving as a mediator between Harry and his awful cousin, so you two were more than ecstatic when you found out you were both sent an acceptance letter to Hogwarts.

McGonagall continued her welcome speech, "It is of great importance that I stress to you all the unity Hogwarts aims to create amongst its students. There is no hiding the fact that the divide amongst houses has drastically grown over the last few years, and we hope to minimize that separation in the near future."

With these words, wondering eyes began looking around the hall and it was clear that the divide McGonagall mentioned had affected who returned to Hogwarts that year. Naturally, it seemed almost all Ravenclaws returned, as did the majority of Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors, but there were a significantly less number of students at the Slytherin table. A lot of the students draped in green were eager first-years, as a lot of older students didn't want to return after everything the house experienced during the Battle of Hogwarts.

The Headmistress soon ended her welcome back speech and the feast appeared in front of the students, much to their delight, and easy conversation began to flow within the Great Hall. Ron asked his group of friends, "Do you reckon this will finally be a peaceful year at Hogwarts?"

"Ronald, you know as well as the rest of us that there is no such thing as a peaceful year at Hogwarts," Hermione responded, earning a grin from Harry and a slight laugh from you.

"A bit of wishful thinking never hurts," Ron commented, "Maybe the worst thing to happen this year will be Hufflepuff winning the Quidditch tournament, wouldn't that be something?"

Harry laughed and said, "That would be unexpected, yeah."

You and Hermione simply shook your heads at the boys' natural competitiveness and continued to enjoy the food on the table. The lot caught up with one another, Neville and Dean occasionally piping in as well, for a while until Harry's attention was caught by something else.

You were mid-conversation and were quite enjoying it when you became the first to notice Harry looking elsewhere, as you were sitting right beside him. You furrowed your eyebrows and was about to voice your concerns, when Harry said, "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

Immediately, those sitting around Harry directed their gaze towards whatever distracted Harry, and they were all nearly as equally surprised as The Chosen One himself. Draco Malfoy had walked into the Great Hall, stopping short when realizing the attention that was thrown on to him.

"You have got to be bloody kidding me," Harry said, standing up from his seat as he did so. As Draco saw the Gryffindor rise, he stepped back into the corridor in order to avoid whatever conversation was about to occur becoming entirely public to all at Hogwarts.

Harry began to leave the table in pursuit of the blonde-haired wizard, so you stood up and began following after him, "Harry, don't."

Ginny Weasley stood up with the intention of following the two of you out as well, but Ron stopped her short, "Don't bother. Y/N's talked him out of a lot of situations with pricks like him, no need to ambush the man."

In the corridor just outside the Great Hall, Harry had caught up to Draco and instantly raised his wand at him, "You've got a lot of nerve showing your face around here, after everything your family has done."

"Lucky for you, I'm not my family, Potter," Draco responded, seemingly unphased by the wand pointed at him.

You caught up to the pair and grabbed Harry's arm, lowering it and his wand as you softly spoke, "Come on, Harry."

"Got a new girlfriend, do you? Weaslebee's sister not work out for you?" Draco asked, causing Harry to step towards him. You prevented him from getting too close, sending Draco a glare while doing so.

"Leave her out of it, Malfoy," Harry spat out, his gaze unwavering.

Draco smirked and then proceeded to speak, "Look Potter, I know that my relatives and I aren't exactly your favorite people, but I have every right to finish my schooling, same as you. I'm not expecting to be best mates, or mates at all really. Stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours, understand?"

Harry didn't even have the opportunity to respond as Draco walked away from the duo and into the Great Hall as soon as he finished his statement. With an exasperated sigh, Harry asked, "Can you believe the nerve of that guy?"

Reluctantly, you shrugged your shoulders and replied, "We've all have had a terrible last few years Harry."

Harry looked you wide in your eyes and bewildered, "You can't be serious."

"I'm not saying he's completely out of the wrong, believe me," you said with a heavy sigh, then continued, "but he's shown he's not entirely terrible all the time. Within the last year or two, he's done a lot that surprised us."

"Go on."

"Despite his terrible family, Malfoy's never had it in him to kill anyone throughout this war. Couldn't bring himself to kill Dumbledore even though Voldemort was the one that told him and he'd be risking his own life to fall short of what was expected of him," you stated.

Harry scoffed, "So he's not a murderer? Big whoop."

"Did you forget that he had every chance to prove himself helpful to them when we winded up at Malfoy's manor, but he pretended he didn't recognize you? We knew damn well he did, but he told everyone else otherwise," you added, Harry falling quieter at that memory. To finish off, you said, "And if wasn't for his family baiting him over, I honestly think he may have stood with us in the end."

Harry let out a sigh and said, "And because of that I'm instantly supposed to forgive him?"

"Absolutely not, but you can at least tolerate him, _maybe_ be civil with one another. We've got one lousy year left and you've both returned to finish for your own separate reasons, so I honestly doubt either of you want to be at each other's throat. Let's just finish our seventh year, and you two won't have to deal with each other ever again," you concluded.

A moment or two passed as Harry thought about everything you had said. He glanced around the corridor as his mind worked, before exhaling and saying, "Alright fine, but if he steps one foot out of line, I won't hesitate to hex him."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," you told him with a slight smirk upon your lips. There was a tiny hint of a smile upon Harry's face as he shook his head and headed back into the Great Hall.

You re-entered the hall slightly after Harry, a smile appeared on your face as you had a good feeling about your final year at school with your friends. You walked through the massive doors and your pace slowed down a bit when you saw Draco Malfoy sitting awfully close to the corridor you were just in.

_Had he heard that entire conversation?_

After a brief second of eye contact with the Slytherin, you quicken your pace and reclaimed your seat beside Harry as dessert began appearing in front of everyone. Ginny asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," you answered, quickly being met with questioning glances that didn't entirely believe you. You decided to amend your answer, "Or at least it will be."

"You've always had a habit of seeing the best in people," Harry commented, taking a sip from his pumpkin juice.

You smiled at that and said, "It's both a blessing and a curse."

Conversation and loads of laughter found its way back into the hall as everyone, Ron more than most, enjoyed the desserts. You talked and talked without realizing how fast time was passing by, only getting up to leave after McGonagall had announced curfew was approaching to the students that had lingered in the hall after dinner.

You chatted with Hermione as you all walked back to the Gryffindor common room, where Harry quickly recited the password to grant you all access. The girls said goodnight to the boys as you all retreated to your separate areas, you and Hermione headed towards your shared room and Ginny going off to her own.

When you awoke the next morning, you were alarmed to see that Hermione had already left to start her day while you had seemingly slept in late on your first day of class back. You muttered a few choice words as you got ready and zipped out as quickly as you could, making your way down to the dungeons for Potions.

You were getting close to the classroom when you noticed a figure leaning up against a wall near the door, a figure with bleach blonde hair. Confusion began to build up inside you as he noticed you approaching and met you halfway in the hall. You two stood off to the side and you asked, "Were you waiting for me?"

"Yeah and you were nearly twenty minutes late to class, what the hell is wrong with you?" Draco asked you.

You sighed, clearly not in the mood for a conversation with the boy in front of you, and instead posed your own question, "What do you want, Malfoy?"

"About what you said to Potter yesterday," he spoke after a moment of hesitation.

"Heard all of that, did you?" you asked, your eyes darting around, not particularly wanting to meet his at the current moment.

"I sat towards the back of the hall to avoid a bunch of unwanted stares," Draco told you with complete honesty, "And it's not like the two of you were exactly quiet."

You glanced around the hall in order to keep an eye out as you two were technically skipping class, although it was only down the hall and you had every intention of attending as soon as this conversation was over. You looked back up at him and asked, "Well, what about it?"

There was another hesitant pause before he answered you, "You didn't have to do that."

"I'm aware... If this is your version of saying thank you then you're welcome, don't sweat it," you said, laughing a bit at how hard a simple thanks was for him for some odd reason, "You seriously waited twenty minutes to tell me that?"

"Don't think too much of it," he told you, leaving you behind in the hall as he ventured off to class.

Another laugh escaped you, out of nerve and pure confusion, as you made your way to class as well. You shook your head to get your mind straight as you truly didn't know what to make of that interaction and you didn't particularly feel like figuring it out. Professor Slughorn greeted you as soon as you walked in, "Ms. L/N, a pleasure to have you! And your timing worked out perfectly as you and Mr. Malfoy are of different houses and were both tardy, you'll have to be partners."

"Partners?" you repeated, glancing at Draco before turning your attention back towards Slughorn, "I'm sorry professor, I was under the impression that most of the work done as a seventh year would be independent to ensure we'd be ready for our fields."

"Yes, Ms. Granger had the same concerns. As I informed the class earlier, we may resume that way of learning after the holidays, but for now, I'd much rather focus on student collaboration, particularly amongst different houses, so partners it is," Slughorn filled you in. You and Draco shared a look of discontent at one another before Slughorn continued, "Besides, the first bit of term will consist of a lot of review, so there's no harm in having help in that. Now, Ms. L/N, Mr. Malfoy, please take to your spots so I can continue with the class."

The entire class had their eyes on the two of you, your closest friends throwing either concerned or questioning looks your way as you got situated. Thankfully, the only spot left for you and your new Potions partner was at the same table as Hermione and her partner, Blaise Zabini.

Nothing really changed, an uncomfortable atmosphere simply lingered around in the air, until Slughorn gave the class a page number and told everyone to follow the instructions they'd find there. You were turning the pages in your book as Draco spoke, "Alright, let's knock this out then."

You were grateful to see that you'd be brewing a Sleeping Draught today and that the recipe was fairly easy to follow. A quick scan of the page, and then you pitched, "I can start crushing the lavender if you want to get the cauldron started?"

To your relief, Draco only nodded in agreement and started on his part. The two of you worked quietly and efficiently, therefore it only took a few moments for you to complete your separate tasks. As you measured out the correct amount of crushed lavender to add, Draco stated, "Once that's added in, you've got to let it brew for at least twenty minutes before adding the next bit."

"You're surprisingly very good at this," you told Draco after you had finished adding the lavender to the mixture.

Draco waved his wand over the cauldron as he said, "Don't sound so shocked L/N, I do take my classes seriously."

"Yeah, but I didn't even see you look at the recipe, not once," you noted as he lowered his wand.

"I've always had top marks in Potions," Draco told you, turning to face you, "It always came naturally to me, I guess."

You glanced over to see Hermione and Blaise were doing, hoping to pass the next twenty minutes with her rather than Draco, but you were disappointed to see that she was still measuring and adding ingredients to their cauldron.

Turning back to Draco, you cautiously asked, "So what are you doing back here? I figured your family would have you set for life."

"Like I told Potter, I'm not my family," he responded, a bit of disdain evident in his tone. You decided to leave it alone as, thankfully, Hermione and Blaise finished up the first portion of the instructions.

You and Blaise essentially switched spots as you waited for your potions to be ready for the next few instructions, you and Hermione speaking in lowered tones so the boys wouldn't hear your conversation. She asked you, "Why were you late this morning? More importantly, how is it you walked in late with Malfoy?"

"I was late because my beloved roommate didn't wake me up this morning before breakfast like she used to," you retorted.

With a slight laugh, Hermione told you, "Believe it or not, I actually did wake you, but then you muttered something about skipping breakfast for a few more minutes of sleep and that you'd meet me in class. I didn't fully believe you, but you were quite insistent."

"Oh," you apologetically said, "My bad then. Don't leave without physically pushing me out of bed next time."

"Will do," Hermione said, not hiding her laugh this time, "But seriously though, Malfoy?"

You snuck a quick glance at the man in question before telling Hermione, "Believe me, I wasn't expecting it either. He was waiting for me outside the classroom."

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed as she asked, "What for?"

"He overheard everything I said about him to Harry yesterday and it touched his heart, I suppose? I don't really know," you explained, still confused on the whole situation yourself.

"He said thank you?" she astoundingly asked.

"Well, he never actually said the words 'thank you,'" you clarified, "but the idea was there, yeah."

Hermione was clearly taken aback as she spoke, "That seems rather uncharacteristic of him, don't you think?"

"Look, he told me not to think much of it, so that's exactly what I plan to do," you told her in response. 

Hermione was about to add to the conversation, but couldn't do so as Draco spoke, "Hey L/N! You gonna come help me finish this potion or what?"

You turned to face him and, with an annoyed sigh, said, "Malfoy, we've got at least another ten minutes until it's ready for anything else."

"Even so, I still think it'd be best if you and Mr. Zabini returned to your cauldrons," Slughorn said from behind you as he passed your table. You turned around to see him as he continued, "The best bonding does occur during the downtime, after all."

Faking a smile, you responded, "Yes, professor."

Blaise returned to the spot you craved as you reluctantly returned to Draco's side, the blonde wearing a smug look on his face. He said to you, "Nice to have you back, partner."

You scoffed, "Please, you only said something because you saw Slughorn walking about."

"You've got to be more aware of your surroundings, L/N," Draco mockingly told you, taking a peek inside your cauldron to check in on your potion. 

"Alright then Malfoy, I'm back over here because of you, so let's _bond,_ " you said distastefully before asking, "Why are you here?"

Draco turned towards you so that you had his full attention, speaking a bit lower in volume so that the entire room wouldn't hear him as he answered, "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for my mother. She convinced me to come back here yesterday as soon as she learned I didn't want any part of the ministry."

"And what would you rather do professionally?" you pressed on.

"Not that it's any of your business," Draco spat out before informing you, in a lighter tone, "I'd like to teach Potions one day."

Your face instantly softened up a bit at his answer as you were certainly not expecting it. Your voice wasn't nearly as harsh as you asked a follow-up question, "Potions? Any particular reason why?"

Draco's eyes wouldn't meet yours as he quietly and honestly said, "It's one of the few things I know I excelled in without the help of my family's name or wealth."

You hadn't the slightest clue what to say after Draco's words, stunned by both what he had said and the fact that he actually admitted that to you. Lucky for you, you didn't have to formulate another sentence as the Slytherin pointed out, "The brew is ready for the last bit."

Draco began adding a few ingredients to the cauldron as you counted out four Valerian Sprigs for him to add into the mixture, remaining silent as you still weren't sure what to say. The sprigs were added and Draco stirred the potion seven times clockwise, a detail you were sure you may have forgotten. 

You waved your wand over the draught after he finished and Slughorn approached the two of you once again, "A perfect potion from quite the unlikely pair. Five points for both Gryffindor and Slytherin."

Slughorn continued to check in on the progress of his students while you and Draco exchanged another look with another, the original discontent from when you two were partnered up seeming to have vanished. Draco appeared rather at peace with his current situation while you wore more of a proud look on your face after earning a few house points. 

Both you and Draco redirected your attention to Slughorn as he began to wrap up class, congratulating a few students on a job well done and going over some common issues he saw while everyone was working. The professor concluded, "All in all, excellent work today! I'll see you all next time, class dismissed."

Your eyes darted to Hermione, who gestured that she'd meet you out in the hallway before quickly packing up her things. She left the classroom seconds after and you gathered your belongings as fast as you could, hoping to follow suit. You were ready to go and were about halfway to the door when you paused and turned around to face your Potions partner, who was closing his bag and getting ready to leave as well. 

"Hey Malfoy," you said, causing Draco to look up at you and listen, "For what it's worth, I think you'd make a great Potions teacher."

The sincerity of your voice caught him off guard, but you had turned around and exited the classroom almost as soon as you said those words, therefore missing the very small, but very genuine hint of a smile on Draco's face. 

As you caught up to Hermione in the hallway, a new and unexpected thought found its way inside your head: _Maybe Draco Malfoy isn't too bad after all._


	2. Seasons Change

Things began to gradually change over the next few weeks between you and Draco in a way that wasn't expected but also wasn't unwelcomed.

The next Potions class after you two were assigned as partners went by rather smoothly and you were beyond thankful for that.

_"And now we wait," Draco said to you after you placed the last few ingredients into the cauldron._

_He waved his wand over the cauldron as you turned to face him, "I don't recall this much waiting around while brewing."_

_"Potions requires a lot of patience," Draco told you, setting his wand down and facing you as well._

_You spoke before you realized what you were saying, "And who would've thought Draco Malfoy would be such a patient being?"_

_"You'd be surprised," Draco muttered, you almost missing those words._

_You tried to steer away from any odd tension and attempted to make a joke, "I suppose dealing with Parkinson all those years helps to build that up."_

_"She definitely had her moments, yeah," Draco said after a slight scoff._

_"Why didn't she come back?" you curiously asked, daring to add, "I thought she'd follow you to the ends of the earth forever."_

_"Maybe when we were together," your eyebrows furrowed and you clearly wanted to know more. Draco turned away from you, checking on your potion as he continued, "We had different viewpoints of the world and that became very obvious after everything that happened. She was so closed-minded and stubborn about hers that I decided it'd be best to call it off."_

_Pansy Parkinson's perspective on the world wasn't exactly a secret. She had held onto the belief that purebloods were superior and believed in a lot of what the Dark Lord and his followers had to say. Hearing that Draco had probably changed his own mindset washed you with a sort of wave of relief._

_His gaze fell upon you, trying to measure how you were taking that new bit of information. Your kind eyes met his as you delicately spoke, "Maybe some things are better left in the past after all."_

It didn't take too long for Draco to start interacting with you outside of class either, only without any malicious intent this time. Something you would've deemed nearly impossible a few years prior.

_"Practicing up on your Potions, L/N?" Draco asked you, approaching the table you sat at as you waited for Hermione to meet you in the library._

_You tore your attention away from the book you were skimming and looked up at the blonde to sarcastically reply, "Only the best for my beloved Potions partner."_

_"Serves you right," Draco said with a smirk, leaning against the table near you rather than taking a seat. He continued, "Don't work yourself too hard though, can't have you running late for class again."_

_"Oh please, that was one time and as I recall it, you were late too," you countered, looking up at him in disbelief._

_He leaned down towards you a bit as he spoke, "As a direct result of your tardiness."_

_A slight laugh escaped your lips as you told him, "No one forced you to wait outside for me just to muster out a half-assed thank you, Malfoy."_

_"Thank you," Draco earnestly said, his eyes never leaving yours._

_You clearly weren't expecting the simple two words, your furrowing eyebrows making that apparent. E/C eyes searched his grey ones as you whispered a very soft, "What?"_

_"What's going on?" your usual study partner interrupted as she saw the scene in front of her. Draco leaned away from you and you both looked over to see Hermione standing just a few feet away from the table where you sat, her eyes widened with surprise._

_"Nothing," you told her, although you didn't quite believe your own words._

_Hermione cast a suspicious look at Draco, causing him to sigh and resign. He stood up fully, no longer leaning against the table for support, and began to leave the area as he said, "Don't worry about it Granger, she's all yours."_

_After he left, Hermione came up and joined you at the table. She incredulously questioned, "What on Earth was that about?"_

_That blonde headed Slytherin had a habit of confusing you this year, so you simply responded, "I really don't know, so as he said, don't worry about it."_

Before you knew it, a month had flown by, and some would even dare to say that you had grown to become friends with Draco Malfoy. Potions class was a breeze each day and his random interactions with you continued, both in and out of the castle.

_"Wouldn't have pegged you as the jelly slugs type, L/N," Draco said, walking up to where you stood in Honeydukes._

_You turned to him and asked, "Humor me then, what do you peg me as?"_

_"I don't know," he said with a shrug, throwing up an arm to rest it on the shelf beside you, "Definitely something more chocolatey though."_

_You quirked an eyebrow at his words and revealed your actual favorite, "Caramel Cobwebs actually, and these aren't for me. Ron's been having a bit of a rough week, so I thought I'd grab him a few before meeting the gang at the Broomsticks."_

_"That's rather kind of you."_

_"That's what friends are for," you said, walking around him to heads toward the checkout counter._

_He followed you over and said, "None of mine have ever done something like that."_

_"If we're being completely honest Malfoy," you started, placing the jelly slugs on the counter and reaching for your wallet, "I don't know that you've had many real friends in your lifetime."_

_"You might be right about that," he admitted, stopping you from paying and reaching for his own wallet. You gave him a confused look as he gave the cashier the money for the candy, to which he simply said, "That's what friends are for, right?"_

_You were rendered speechless as your - or more accurately, Draco's - purchase was handed back to you. Before you could spit out a thank you, he was already halfway out of the store, "See you around, L/N."_

Of course, you didn't tell anyone about your developing friendship between the Slytherin, and you most definitely didn't dare tell anyone when you ran into each other after curfew.

_Insomnia was one of your oldest friends and whenever she popped in for a visit, you typically found yourself wandering around the castle, avoiding prefects or portraits that would rat you out._

_You'd often make your way to the astronomy tower as you admired the view, but hardly anyone visited the space after the events that occurred during your sixth year._

_Now, you would just take random twists and turns until you found the first courtyard you came across to glance up at the stars. Typically, these courtyards were empty, but that wasn't the case tonight._

_You saw his head of hair as soon as you rounded the corner. Walking quietly towards him and the bench he currently rested on, you began to notice he was singing, "...it's all in the shape of you. Cause I found what I need to get through, and it's you."_

_"What's that your singing?" you asked, immediately causing him to look in your direction._

_Draco quickly closed a journal he had in his lap, which you hadn't seen in the dark of the night, and replied, "It's uh, nothing."_

_"You know, I thought you were a better liar than that, Malfoy," you said, taking a seat beside him. You pressed on, "You wrote that, didn't you?"_

_With a sigh, Draco looked up to the sky and confessed, "Yes, but if you repeat that to a soul you'll regret it."_

_"Don't think I've received a threat from you in quite a while," you mused._

_"I sort of thought we grew past all that, Y/N," Draco sincerely said, causing you to glance up at him at the sound of your first name coming from his mouth._

_You were met with just the side profile of his face, his eyes not ready to meet yours. You looked up at the sky as well and, after a brief moment, commented, "Still, singer-songwriter slash Potions professor Draco Malfoy has got quite a ring to it. It's a shame the world will never know."_

_That earned a slight chuckle out of Draco and you couldn't help but feel a bit proud of that. He shook his head and finally looked back down at you, "It's past midnight, aren't you supposed to be in bed?"_

_"Aren't you supposed to be walking around and actually patrolling the castle?" you retorted, looking back towards him as well, daring to give the Prefect pin on his robes a little tap._

_"I suppose we're both guilty," Draco said before ushering you away, "Go on then, off to bed before someone else sees you. Don't need you sleeping through Potions again either."_

_You laughed as you stood from the bench, "You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?"_

_"Never," he replied, smirking up at you from where he sat. He then added, "Seriously, get a move on before I have to deduct house points."_

_An intentionally overdramatic gasp left your lips as you spoke, "You wouldn't dare."_

_"I wouldn't dare take away house points from Gryffindor? You know me so well," Draco sarcastically remarked in response._

_You laughed a bit more as you raised your hands up in surrender, taking a few small steps backward as you told him, "Alright, alright, I'm leaving."_

_Even Draco chuckled some as he watched your retreating figure, a hint of a genuine smile growing upon his face. He said, "Goodnight, Y/N."_

_"Goodnight, Draco," you softly said to him before turning around to head back towards the common room, once again missing the gentle smile on his face as his eyes followed you out._

Hermione, thankfully, woke you up the next morning and the two of you quickly got ready. You then proceeded to walk to the Great Hall together for breakfast, where Headmistress McGonagall had an announcement to make.

You and Hermione took a seat across from Harry, Ron, and Ginny. Neville was seated beside you as well, and you all chatted and ate before the headmistress took to the stand. McGonagall said, "Good morning everyone, I trust that you all slept well."

The hall grew silent as everyone gave McGonagall their full attention. She continued, "I am excited to share with you all the news of a wonderful event that is to come in a few short weeks. In honor of the lives we lost, and those who risked their lives in this very castle a year ago, the first annual Revere Ball will be hosted at Hogwarts."

Whispered murmurs instantly flooded the hall as students took in and reacted to the news, the noise only dying down as McGonagall spoke, "The ball will be open to all students of all houses, both past and present, in order to extend the invitation to alumni who fought as well. I hope to see all of your bright faces in attendance representing Hogwarts..."

McGonagall went on to talk about more details of the ball and what guidelines students were expected to follow before finishing her announcement, allowing you and your friends to discuss the news as you continued eating breakfast.

Neville was the first to speak, "Another ball! That's quite exciting, yeah?"

"I'm sure it'll be much better than the last," Hermione said, exchanging a look with Ron, who sat across her with a sheepish smile on his face.

"That's easy for you lot to say, you've all got automatic dates," you pointed out, "The last date I went on was for the last ball and I'm pretty sure George only asked me out of pity."

"I can send him an owl for you, if you'd like," Ron offered, earning a laugh out of Harry and a glare from you.

Ginny reached over and gave her brother a small smack to the head, to which you sent an appreciated smile her way, and then said to you, "I'm sure you'll find a date, Y/N."

"You could always go with Malfoy," Hermione suggested, a bit too cheerfully for your liking.

"What? No, absolutely not," Harry immediately shot down, "Why would she go with Malfoy?"

"He does seem slightly nicer around her," Neville chimed in, bearing witness to a few of you and Draco's encounters in the library.

"Slightly nicer? He's like a whole new person around her," Hermione said, turning to you to add, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say he fancies you."

You nearly choked on your pumpkin juice at her words. Once you collected yourself you spoke, "Have you gone mad? No way that he fancies me."

"Honestly Hermione, how could you even suggest that?" Harry asked.

"Well for starters, we do share a table in Potions. Not only do you two manage to brew the best potions, but you act as though you've been close for years," Hermione stated.

You responded, "He makes a good partner in class, so what? Draco and I are just friends, simply as that."

" _Draco?_ On a first-name basis with him, are you?" Ron interrupting, causing heat in your cheeks to rise at your slip. Ron then muttered, "Blimey, maybe this is bad."

A smug face grew on Hermione's face as she continued, "And then there's all the times I've walked into the library just to see the two of you together. I'm telling you, the way he looks at you says something a lot more than friendship."

"You're insane," you told her, shaking your head in denial.

"I can't blame him for developing feelings for you, you know," Hermione commented, "You're probably the first person at Hogwarts to genuinely like him for him, not for his family or out of fear or anything, so I suppose it was only a matter of time."

"Enough of all that, Malfoy doesn't have feelings for Y/N," Harry said, wanting to change the topic of conversation.

"Deny it all you want," Hermione said, smirking behind her raised cup, "but that doesn't change the fact Malfoy's been stealing glances at her since the ball's been mentioned."

Harry's eyes widened and you scoffed, both of you not believing her. You looked past Harry, Ron and Ginny and searched the Slytherin table, since you were already facing it, for the blonde in question. He was sitting on the side that faces the Gryffindor table and you were more than surprised to find that, true to Hermione's words, he was already looking at you.

The two of you maintained eye contact for a brief moment before he smiled slightly, then turned to focus his attention on Blaise and whatever he was saying to him.

You turned to look at Hermione, who wasn't at all hiding the smirk on her face anymore, and simply shook your head. Draco couldn't possibly have feelings for you, could he?

Breakfast ended soon and you and the Golden Trio began to head towards the dungeons for Potions. You entered the classroom to find your partner already there, and a package of Caramel Cobwebs in your working space. You asked Draco, "What's this?"

"You looked rather frustrated at breakfast this morning, thought these might help," Draco told you.

From across the table, Hermione began to cough unexpectedly hard, causing you and Draco to look her way. You asked, "Are you alright there?"

"I'm fine, thank you," she replied, glancing down at the sweets in your hand once she realized Draco's attention was no longer on her. She raised a brow at you and you rolled your eyes, subtly shaking her head to shut down her thought process.

You turned back to Draco to thank him, "Thank you, that's awfully considerate of you."

"I had a spare package," Draco said with a shrug of his shoulders, "And it's as you said, that's what friends are for."

"That's _exactly_ what _friends_ are for," you said a bit louder than normal, Hermione shaking her head as the message was received.

Professor Slughorn started class and lectured a bit before instructing you all to brew a potion found in your books. You and Draco got to work right away, dividing the tasks as usual.

You were busy crushing up a few things when Draco asked you, "Mind passing me those sprigs?"

"There you are," you said as you handed him the ingredients he wanted.

"Thank you darling," Draco said, catching you completely off guard. You looked up at him only to see that he was still mindlessly cutting the ingredients, then you turned to Hermione and saw she was as baffled as you. A smirk slowly grew on her face as Draco realized the choice of words that slipped from his mouth. He cleared his throat and attempted to correct himself, _"Partner."_

You awkwardly smiled at him and nodded to acknowledge his correction and continue to brew the potion, the odd tension in the air lingering for a few moments.

Thankfully, after the confusing interaction with him, things between you and Draco became natural again. You didn't dwell on the term of endearment that slipped out his mouth unless, of course, Hermione brought it up, and even then you did your best to brush it off.

A week had passed since then and you were more convinced that Hermione was wrong about Draco having any sort of romantic feelings towards you. Nothing had changed between you, the banter remaining lighthearted and a bit teasing without any talks about the upcoming ball, and you honestly enjoyed it that way.

"Where's Malfoy?" Hermione asked you as you sat in Potions, waiting for Slughorn to start the lesson of the day.

You shrugged your shoulders and replied, "Not sure, Zabini?"

Blaise simply shook his head as a response, indicating he didn't know where Draco was either. You didn't think much of it, telling yourself there's no reason to truly worry until class was over as he probably was just running a bit late.

"Alright class, let's everyone settle down," Professor Slughorn said, walking into the classroom. The room silenced and gave the professor their attention as he spoke, "Now, there was a lot of discussion on whether or not I should even be teaching you this potion, but ultimately it was decided to do so to avoid any... unwanted results should any of you dare to brew it outside of class."

You and Hermione exchanged a look at one another, worried about what was to come. The spot beside you remained empty since Draco had yet to show as Slughorn continued, "Be that as it may, this particular potion does take more than 24 hours to brew, so I took the liberty to start half a batch my own. Some of you have contents in your cauldrons and will follow the second set of instructions, while some of you will be starting from scratch."

"Professor, what exactly is it that we're brewing?" Hermione asked, on behalf of the whole class.

"Amortentia, otherwise known as the strongest love potion in the world," the professor answered before informing the class, "You'll find the recipe for said potion on page 143. Be mindful that its scent is different for all who smell it, as it always smells like the things you personally find most attractive. Don't need anyone comparing scents and getting thrown off, now do we?"

You flipped to that page in your book and took the lid off the cauldron in your area to see if anything was inside, being met with a mixture already there. With a sigh, you began finishing up the potion on your own as Draco still hadn't shown up.

Another thirty minutes passed by until your Potions partner showed up for class, clearing having overslept by his disheveled state that he tried to cover. You were placing the final ingredient, a white pearl, into the cauldron as he walked in. The pearl dissolved when he reached his spot and you told him, "You never get to tease me about running late again."

"Whatever, I'm here now, aren't I?" Draco rhetorically asked as you finished the potion with one stir clockwise, then one stir counterclockwise. Draco genuinely asked you, "What are we brewing today then? And why does it smell so ghastly?"

"What do you mean it smells ghastly?" you asked with a laugh, writing down a few notes about how your potion turned out. Hermione held back a laugh as well as you both wondered what Draco could desire so badly that smelled so awful to him.

"I hardly smell the actual potion itself. All I smell is your bloody perfume attempting to cover the wretched thing up," he told you, pulling his own book out as you completely froze beside him. You stared up at him and, noticing your sudden change in behavior, Draco asked, "What?"

"You smell my perfume?" you questioned for clarification. This drew Blaise's attention as well, and the other duo at the table remained quiet as they listened to the conversation unfolding between you and Draco.

"That's what I said, isn't it? Smelled it as soon as I walked through the door," Draco said, affirming the fact that the Amortenia scent that filled up the room, thanks to the dozen brews happening, smelled like you. Your jaw dropped and you averted your eyes from him, wanting to look at anything but his grey ones at the moment.

Draco noticed that, as well as the curious and disbelieving eyes Hermione and Blaise had cast your way, and grew even more confused at the current situation. He asked, "Come on then, what are we making?"

He leaned over in an attempt to see what page your book was on and you immediately closed it in a rush before he read anything. You panicked and said, "It's already finished, don't worry about it."

"Y/N, what's going on?" Draco softly asked you as your heart pounded heavily in your chest. You dared to look at him again and saw confusion, as well as a bit of worry and concern, etched across his face.

Before you could muster any sort of response, Professor Slughorn approached your station, "Ah, Mr. Malfoy, pleasure for you to join us this morning. Though I fear you may as well have stayed in bed, it seems as though Ms. L/N has already completed an excellent batch of Amortentia before your arrival."

"Amortentia?" Draco reiterated with wide eyes directed at the professor, slowly beginning to piece together why everyone reacted the way they did just a few minutes prior.

"Yes, Amortentia," Slughorn confirmed, "The most powerful love potion that, interestingly enough, changes its—"

"Scent. Yeah, I'm familiar with it," Draco cut off, glancing away from Slughorn and locking eyes with you. 

The eye contact only broke because you darted your eyes towards your lap, where you fiddled with your fingers at a loss of what to say or what to do.

"Ms. L/N, would you mind doing a quick round and checking to see how some of your housemates are doing while I catch Mr. Malfoy up some and remind him about my tardiness policy?" Slughorn asked you and you had to physically stop yourself from letting out a sigh of relief as the opportunity to escape presented itself.

"Yes professor," you quickly agreed, dashing off to the table where Harry and Ron stood with their partners as you heard Slughorn remind Draco this was his second tardy of the year.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked when you reached their table.

Ron added, "Yeah, you look as though you were just told you were performing a musical set at the Revere."

"It's nothing," you told the boys, automatically getting a look from Harry that told you he knew you were lying. You amended, "Nothing I'm mulling over with you two anyway."

You could tell that your comment offended the two, but you honestly didn't care at the moment. Telling Harry was sure to cause some type of scene in the middle of class and you would much rather avoid anything remotely close to that. As Slughorn asked, you looked over a few potions very carefully, as a way to avoid walking back to your table, and soon the professor began to speak to the whole class again. Even then, you remained where you were instead of returning to your station beside Draco.

Slughorn's voice faded into the background as you got lost in your thoughts. What were you supposed to do about Draco? Do you ask him about it first? Do you wait for him to bring it up? Does someone else he knows wear the same perfume and you're just overthinking everything? Did you simply just spray too much on that morning?

The classmates around you began packing up and reaching for their belongings, snapping you out of your thoughts as you realized class had been dismissed. You glanced over to your table and noticed Draco was gathering his things fairly quickly and it wasn't long before he stepped out the door. 

You then returned to your station and paused a bit when you caught a flash of blonde hair just outside the door. _Of course he was waiting for you outside in the hallway._ You weren't exactly ready to tackle the subject, so as soon as your things were packed you called out to Harry and Ron as they left, "Hey, wait up!"

It was quite a cheap move, but you knew that Draco wouldn't say anything to you about what happened in class so long as you were in Harry's company, or any of the trio's company really. Sure enough, when you stepped into the hallway, Draco was leaning against a column, waiting for you to appear. You could see him physically deflate a bit when he saw you were walking between Harry and Ron.

Your heart hurt for him a bit and you took a deep breath in as you walked down the hallway to keep yourself externally calm. You had another class directly after Potions, but the common room was on the way there, so as you were about to pass it, you said, "I actually forgot my book in my room, I'll meet you guys there."

The boys simply nodded, Harry clearly concerned and wondering what was going on in your head, and continued on their way as you approached the portrait and gave her the password. You rushed up to your room, but stopped just in the doorway when you saw Hermione had already beat you there. With a heavy sigh, you asked, "Do we have to talk about this now?"

She assessed your current state and replied, "No, but I'm not letting you skip class because of it either. He's not even in this one, it'll be just fine."

"But Hermione--"

"No but's," she cut you off, with a small laugh. She then continued, "Look, I know you're probably extremely overwhelmed, but I'd be a terrible friend if I let you hide in here all day. After classes today, we can spend the weekend doing whatever you need, but we eventually should probably talk about it."

You didn't want to admit, but you knew Hermione was right, just as always. Reluctantly, you said, "Alright fine, but you're not allowed to leave my side for the next twenty-four hours."

"Deal," Hermione responded, laughing a bit more, "Now let's go."

The two of you walked out of the dormitories and headed to class, but you still couldn't completely clear your mind, trying to find the answer to one particular question: _What the hell were you supposed to do about Draco?_


	3. Before the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to split this chapter in half because the word count just got away from me, so tune in for the ball next chapter!

Your Friday quickly passed and Hermione remained true to her words by staying close by to ease your nerves. Even so, you felt as though there were moments where Draco nearly approached you regardless seeing how Hermione overheard his accidental confession, which prompted you to spend the majority of your Saturday in the Gryffindor common room.

Harry and Ron were still confused about your sudden change in behavior, but you covered it up by saying you were simply under the weather. You could tell Harry still didn't completely believe you, but he knew you well enough to know that you'd tell him when you were ready. The boys let you have your way for the weekend, but Hermione was quite the opposite.

She begrudgingly accepted all your rejections to visit the library or take a trip to Hogsmede Saturday, but Hermione couldn't bear to see you spend your entire Sunday in the common room as well.

Hermione spotted you sitting on the ground in the main area near the fireplace, scribbling together some words on a piece of parchment that was sure to be the beginnings of your Transfiguration essay. She came up to you and said, "Alright, let's go."

You hadn't even realized that Hermione had come down the stairs, so you were surprised when you heard her voice so closely above you. Unsure, you asked her, "Go where?"

"I'm going to the library," Hermione replied, then added, "and you're coming with me."

You instantly shook your head and told her, "I'm just fine here, thank you."

"Y/N, you've practically locked yourself in this common room for nearly 48 hours because of one minor situation," Hermione said, taking a seat on the couch near you.

"Minor situation?" you repeated before adding your own viewpoint, "Hermione, this is the same guy nobody could stand for the last seven years of our lives. We've had a good month or two and suddenly he's in love with me?"

"Oh quit being dramatic, no one said anything about being in love," Hermione dismissed with a laugh, "Just because he finds your perfume attractive doesn't necessarily mean he harbors real feelings for you."

"Aren't you the same woman who was convinced he fancied me a couple of days ago? I know you're only saying that to calm my nerves."

"Okay, even if he does fancy you, so what? Why does that terrify you?" Hermione asked.

"I just don't want things to get weird or awkward," you admitted, "He's actually a pretty decent friend and I know he hasn't got much here for him, so I'd really hate for everything to get messed up."

"And you thought avoiding him was the best way to prevent that?" Hermione rhetorically posed, causing you to look away from her out of embarrassment. Your eyes drifted to the fireplace as you heard your friend sigh and say, "I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but maybe you should give Malfoy a chance."

Your gaze snapped right back to her as soon as the words left her mouth, "I'm sorry, are you advocating for Draco Malfoy right now?"

"Look, you'd have to be insanely daft not to see the effect you have on him," Hermione lowered her volume as she spoke, "And the person you bring out of him is far better than any other version of him we've seen. This other side of him has frequently put a smile on your face too."

A hint of a smile tugged on your lips at Hermione's observation. You softly asked, "But what if I do give him a chance, and everything still gets messed up?"

Even if Draco's mindsets and behaviors had changed, you knew his family's didn't. The only reason his father wasn't locked away in Azkaban is because he shared the names of other Death Eaters to the ministry. You were fairly certain that the Malfoys typically only acted in their best interest and that you, a Gryffindor half-blood, wouldn't be considered Draco's best interest in the eyes of his parents.

"You'll never know unless you try," Hermione said, breaking you out of your train of thought. She gave you a moment before she suggested, "The library?"

You sighed and nodded your head in agreement, packing up the things around you as Hermione beamed. Once everything was back in your bag, Hermione stood and offered out her hand to help you off the ground. You took it and then the two of you were headed towards the library.

At your request, you found a more secluded table to sit at rather than the one you and Hermione normally frequented. She didn't say anything against it as she was just happy you left the common room, but you could tell she wasn't exactly pleased by your request.

"I can only stay an hour or two because I'm supposed to be going to Hogsmede with Ron today, so let's try to get these essays over with," Hermione told you, taking her materials out of her bag. 

You retrieved your things out of your bag as well, responding with a laugh, "Yes ma'am."

The two of you collected quite a few books at your table as you wrote your papers and you were actually glad to be back in the library with your study buddy. Hermione always had the answer you were looking for when you got stuck and you knew it would've taken you significantly longer to compose your piece without her near.

You were writing the conclusion to your essay as Hermione began to place the books you two had used back onto the shelves, and you assumed she had already finished the entirety of her homework and was about to go meet Ron. She confirmed your assumptions after she finished returning the books, "I'm about to go meet Ron, are you staying here?"

"Yeah, I'm nearly finished and if I leave now I'll probably just put off these last few sentences," you replied, feeling confident that you'd only be in the library for another ten or fifteen minutes. You were also sure that you'd remained unbothered during that period of time due to the secluded table and the fact the library wasn't usually that crowded on Sundays until after dinner.

"I'll see you later then," Hermione said. You simply nodded your head in response as you dipped your quill into an ink jar, determined to finish your essay.

Hermione left the area with a smile on her face, glad to have her best friend acting more like herself. As she made her way back to the common room to return her things and meet her favorite ginger, Hermione noticed a specific blonde occupying a bench in the courtyard on his own. He was writing something unreadable from where she stood into a little black journal.

She glanced over at him a few times and ran over several different outcomes in her mind before Hermione ultimately strayed from her path and walked over to Draco.

Draco could hear footsteps and looked up to see who was approaching him. He shut his journal and grew confused when he saw Hermione getting near. When she was within earshot, he spat out, "Can I help you?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "Don't make me regret this, Malfoy."

"Regret what?" he asked, a little less harsh. He had been in a rather sour mood since Potions class Friday, and your disappearance since then only made him more frustrated. Because of all this, Draco wasn't particularly in the mood for conversation with Hermione, and he appeared very disinterested as his eyes roamed around the courtyard.

"She's in the library. Far-right corner, second table from the back," Hermione informed him. Draco didn't even have to ask who "she" was as he looked up at Hermione with wide eyes. The optimistic look spread across his face caught Hermione off guard as she continued, "She won't be there much longer, so I suggest you get a move on."

"Why are you telling me this?" Draco asked as he stood and collected himself.

Hermione shook her head and looked away from him. She shrugged, "You bring out something in her that I've never seen before. She doesn't think I notice, and she probably doesn't even realize it herself, but she smiles differently around you."

Draco nodded, feeling somewhat honored at her words, and started heading towards the library as Hermione watched him speed off, wondering if she made the right decision. She turned to walk back to the common room when she heard Draco call out to her.

"Granger!" He shouted, causing her to turn around. Draco cleared his throat and said, "Thanks."

A slight smile appeared on her face and Hermione simply responded, "Go on then, don't hurt her."

Draco nodded once again and turned around, quickening his pace to the library in hopes that you would still be there when he arrived.

You had finally finished your concluding statements and were proofreading your essay, ready to be completely done with this assignment. Your concentration was so deep that you didn't realize anyone had approached your table until you heard the chair across you scrape across the floor. You could feel your heart drop and time freeze around you when you looked up into a familiar pair of grey eyes.

"Draco," you breathed out, at a complete loss of words. This was an encounter that you were not at all mentally prepared for and you truly had no idea what to say.

In complete honesty, Draco hadn't a clue what to say either. He had been overthinking what to say whenever he saw you again and how to explain himself without scaring you away or how to cover up the fact that he had in fact grown a soft spot for you through the moments you shared, but now, sitting in front of you and staring into your eyes? He was speechless.

The two of you sat there for quite a while as you both searched your mind for something to say. Draco was eventually the first to fill the silence, saying the first thing that came to mind, "Go to the ball with me."

Your eyes widened a bit and Draco feared he said the wrong thing. You asked him, your mind in a state of disbelief that needed to hear it again, "You want to go to the ball with me? _Me?"_

A nervous smile spread across his face as Draco admitted, "Y/N, there's lots of things I'd like to do with you, but the ball is a good start."

Within seconds, your cheeks became tinged as a blush rose to your face, causing you to look away from him and towards a random shelf of books in hopes to make it less noticeable. Draco simply grinned as he noticed what you were doing and the smile the had spread across your lips. You looked down at your lap, not sure if you could handle looking into his eyes at the given moment, and said, "Okay."

"Okay?" Draco reiterated, leaning forward in order to try and meet your gaze.

"Okay," you repeated, braving up and looking him in the eyes, "I'll go to the ball with you."

You and Draco decided to take a trip to Hogsmede together the following weekend to go shopping for attire for the ball, causing you to be a bit nervous throughout the week. Potions class became a bit harder for you as your partner and your drifting mind often distracted you, but thankfully Draco was always able to catch you before you drastically messed anything up, only furthering your belief that he truly would make an excellent Potions professor one day.

In addition, you had yet to tell anyone about your newfound date, so you were always nervous one of your friends would find out before you mentioned it. You weren't ashamed or embarrassed to be going with Draco, but you didn't want to hear anyone telling you to rethink your choice.

Every time you hung out with Harry specifically, you were paranoid that he would somehow find out. When the week passed by and it was time to go meet Draco, leaving the common room itself proved to be difficult as some of your favorite people were lounging by the fire.

You mentally cursed when Harry called you out, "Y/N, hey! Where are you off to?"

"Just popping off to Hogsmede for a bit," you said, turning to face him, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny without taking a step towards them.

"Hang on just a minute, I'll join you. I've been meaning to get a new kit for my broom," Harry told you.

You could tell he was about to rise from his seat, so you quickly stopped him, "Maybe tomorrow or something, I'm a bit busy today."

As you turned to walk away from the group and towards the portrait, Harry called out to you again, "Y/N, seriously, wait up!"

You held back a sigh as you stopped just before the portrait had the chance to open. Harry caught up to you and softly spoke, "I feel like we haven't properly spoken in ages, are you alright?"

"Harry, honestly, I'm fine," you instantly replied, not wanting to leave Draco waiting for too long. 

"What are you hiding from me?" Harry asked, causing you to dart your eyes around the room and away from him, "You've been acting rather odd lately."

You tried dismissing him again with a reassuring smile, "Don't worry about it, I'm seriously okay."

"Is this about whatever had you distraught in Potions the other week? Or what kept you in last weekend? Because if so--

"I'm meeting a guy," you cut him off, almost regretting it as soon as the words left your mouth.

"A guy?" Harry repeated at a louder volume, catching the attention of your other three friends nearby, "What guy?"

You sighed and asked, "Is it really that important?"

"I'd like to know, yes," Harry said with a nod, "that way I can jinx him next time he does something wrong."

"See Harry, this is exactly why I didn't want to tell you. I didn't want you to get all overprotective and slightly intrusive before... before I even figure out how I feel about him," you told him, lowering your tone towards the end as you were being slightly more honest than you had anticipated being. 

Harry was visibly taken back by your words, "Slightly intrusive?"

"Harry, when George took me to the Yule Ball, he told me all about the 'stern talking to' you gave him beforehand," you informed him, slightly laughing at the image of a fourteen-year-old Harry having a serious conversation with sixteen-year-old George Weasley.

He simply shrugged and timidly admitted, "Alright, maybe I did do that."

"Exactly," you said, your laughter growing, "And you actually like George! I can't imagine how you'd treat someone that you don't even-- that you don't even know."

You silently prayed that no one caught on to you nearly slipping up and saying _"someone you don't even like."_ There was a moment of silence before Harry conceded, "Okay fine, you don't have to tell me who he is."

A sigh of relief left your lips as you said, "Thank you. Now if you don't mind, I'll be off now."

"Just be safe," Harry told you, stepping back a few steps as the portrait opened up for you to leave. He then teased, "Maybe I'll meet this mystery guy at the ball?"

You left the common room as you replied, "If you're lucky!"

As you walked to the courtyard you and Draco agreed to meet, you couldn't help but think about how Harry would react to seeing you and Draco at the ball together. You knew for a fact that he wouldn't be happy, but you were wondering exactly to what degree his displeasure would be. 

You weaved in and out of the halls of Hogwarts until you reached your destination, seeing Draco sat on the same bench you caught him singing one late night. Once you were a couple of feet away from him, he stood and said, "You know, I was starting to think that maybe you weren't showing."

"Sorry," you immediately apologized, "I ran into Harry while I was leaving and it became a whole thing."

He nodded, "Right. Have you told him then? That we're going to the ball together?"

"No, I'm not exactly sure how to delicately deliver the news," you replied, the two of you walking towards Hogsmede, "My friends aren't exactly your biggest fans."

"Yeah, can't imagine why," Draco remarked, earning a glare from as you tighten your coat before stepping outside of the castle and into the cold air. 

You told him, "I think Hermione at least tolerates you now, and I'm sure Ginny would come around, it's really just the boys I'm worried about. They can be a bit dramatic sometimes."

Draco hid a smile at your admittance to Hermione tolerating him, thinking back to how Hermione was literally the one that led him to you a week ago. He spoke, "Potter is rather protective of you, why is it?"

"He's basically taken it upon himself to play the role of an older brother even though I was the one that I always kept him out of trouble, even before school," you said. 

"You knew him before Hogwarts?"

The two of you approached the outskirts of town as you answered, "Yeah, he lived across the street from me. His house was the absolute worse, I was really the only thing that kept him sane. My mum would invite him over all the time and the Dursleys always seemed so ready to get rid of him."

"Not the perfect childhood after all," Draco commented.

"Far from it," you said with a scoff, "I honestly don't know where he'd be without Hogwarts."

"You know, I did offer to be his friend at the start of it all," Draco recalled as you grew nearer to the buildings in the village. 

"I was there," you remembered, "but you reminded him too much of his awful cousin. You were quite the arrogant child."

Draco didn't even deny that and instead wondered, "And now?"

You looked up to see his gaze already settled on you. A grin threatened its way to your lips as you replied, "I certainly like you better now."

A smile appeared on Draco's face as you two officially made it to Hogsmede, heading towards Gladrags Wizardwear to browse their newly stocked formal wear section of the shop. You were instantly overwhelmed when you stepped foot into the store, truly not knowing where to start as your parents had sent you the dress you wore for the last ball. 

Shopping with Draco was more enjoyable than you had believed it would be, him giving you an honest opinion on things without being too harsh. He also made it clear that you were to pick out your dress first so that he could pick out dress robes that would compliment it nicely. 

You stepped out of the fitting room in another floor-length dress, your hands in the pockets that you were more than ecstatic to find. The dress was long-sleeved and shimmered with every step you took. This was almost certainly your favorite of the day, but you were nervous that Draco would disagree. 

When Draco looked up at you from where he sat, his jaw nearly dropped. He gently spoke, "Y/N, you look... stunning."

"It's not too much?" you asked, doing a bit of a twirl to show off the dress in its entirety. 

"No, no, it's perfect," Draco reassured you.

You began to suggest, "We can get it in a different color if that makes you more comforta--"

"If you want that color, then get that color, never mind me," Draco quickly dismissed before you even finished your statement.

"But the night's not all about me, I think you get a say in what color you'll likely be wearing as well."

"Y/N, this night is quite literally all about you and Potter and the hundred bloody Weasleys," Draco said, leaning forward in his seat, "It's about everyone who fought for the school, and that's you."

You were rendered speechless for a moment, taking in the words that he had said before voicing your thoughts, "So, what? You'd just wear whatever I want you to wear?"

"Right," he said, leaning back into the chair with a smile, "Exactly."

"You might regret saying that," you told him with a smirk on your face, turning around in order to go back to the fitting room and remove the dress. 

Even as you walked away with your back turned, you could still hear Draco softly say, "I trust you."

And oddly enough, you found that you trusted Draco Malfoy too. 


	4. The Ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This still ended up being super long oopsies, enjoy!

Weeks passed by in a blur after your day with Draco in Hogsmede, the ball getting closer and closer until it was only days away. You were both excited and nervous about it for a number of reasons.

Although you told your friends that you were going to the ball with the "mystery guy" you went off to Hogsmede with, you hadn't told them that Draco was the guy they had so many questions about it. They had begun to be genuinely happy for you and ready to meet this man, so you can't imagine how they'll react when they realize who it actually is.

You had a feeling Hermione already knew and elected to stay quiet on the matter, something that you were grateful for if that were in fact the case. There was something telling you that Hermione honestly probably knew all along, since the moment you left for Hogsmede weeks ago, that it was Draco you were talking about.

This assumption came to your mind because Hermione stopped asking you questions about your mystery man a few days after your friends learned about him, while Harry and Ron still asked about him every other conversation. What really began to throw you off is when Hermione began to be more inviting to your new favorite Slytherin.

The two of you had your study date planned ahead of time and you got there early to secure your usual table and review a couple of things before Hermione arrived. It seemed Draco had figured out when you and Hermione met as he always came up to your table before she arrived.

"Well hello again," you said to Draco as he approached your table.

"Hello again," he said, taking a seat at the table, "I've got a question for you."

You were taking out a journal and one of your books as you asked, "And what's that?"

"Am I your mystery man that I keep hearing about it, or is there someone else you'd rather be going to the ball with?"

"Slytherin's talking about that too?" you questioned. You thought that it was only your friends in Gryffindor making such a big deal out of nothing, but evidently not.

Draco shrugged and told you, "I think they're only talking about it because some of them think it's me."

"Have you told anyone we're going together?" you wondered.

"The only person I really speak to besides you is Blaise, and no I haven't told him," Draco answered, "Didn't want to listen to him go on about how I should take a Greengrass, and at this point, it's only a week away, figure I'll just surprise him."

"Merlin, it's only a week away," you repeated, not realizing how close the ball actually was.

Draco nodded, nearly laughing at your realization, then asked, "Are you planning on telling Potter and friends?"

"I honestly did, but maybe I'll just surprise them too," you responded, "They're all gonna have something to say anyway, might as well put off hearing it."

"In that case, I can't wait to see the look on Potter's face this weekend," Draco said, a smug look resting on his face.

You shook your head with a slight laugh, "It's all fun and games until he's pointing his wand at your face again."

"Lucky I'll have you to protect me then," Draco commented, smiling at you when you looked over at him.

A smile spread across your lips as well, and neither of you had noticed that Hermione had been nearby, about to walk up towards the table but stopping short when seeing the two of you. She hesitated, but then approached her usual seat across from you.

You and Draco directed your attention to her. You gave her a small greeting and Draco began to stand from his seat to leave you two alone but stopped short when Hermione addressed him, "You don't have to leave, you know. You can stay, if you'd like."

Hermione's words caught both you and Draco completely off guard, and you both looked at each other with that surprise clear on your face. 

Draco appeared as though he was looking at you for an answer and you simply told him, "It's up to you."

You could see Draco's mind work as he considered taking the seat at the table again, wondering why Hermione suggested the idea and if she were up to something.

Secretly, you were actually really hoping that Draco would stay back with you and Hermione, even if it were for just a few minutes. It'd definitely make everything less stressful come the ball Saturday, not to mention the fact that Hermione was one of your closest friends and it'd be nice if she got along with the boy who was slowly making his way up that list.

After a period of exchanging looks amongst the three of you, Draco finally came to a decision, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt if I stayed for a bit."

You tried to remain calm on the outside, but on the inside, you were very happy to see Draco sit back down at the table with you and Hermione. He glanced over at you as he did so, and you shot him a smile.

Hermione proceeded to get comfortable in her seat as well, pulling out her supplies and laying them out in front of her. The tension in the air was slightly awkward and you were thinking of ways to diffuse said tension when she casually spoke, "Ready for the ball, Y/N? I'm sure your date is ready to no longer be a secret."

Draco fumbled with the book he was retrieving from his bag at Hermione's unexpected conversation starter, which did not go unnoticed by the brunette. You cleared your throat and said, "Yeah, yeah, we're both excited."

"You know, some are starting to believe he's a Slytherin with all the secrecy," Hermione continued, "It's started to annoy Harry and Ron quite a bit."

You snuck a glance over at Draco and discovered he had a smirk on his face as he flipped through the pages of his book. When you turned to look back at Hermione, you could see that she had a bit of mischievous glint in her eyes, causing you to wonder what she already knew.

It was unlike her to gossip so blatantly and, judging by her expression, you felt as though Hermione definitely already knew and was just trying to get a ruse out of you. You played along anyway, "Harry and Ron will be just fine, regardless of who I show up with."

"I certainly hope so, for both you and your date's sake," Hermione commented, and you nodded your head in agreement.

Draco spoke up, his mouth working faster than his mind, "It's her choice who she goes with, Potter best keep his mouth shut."

You glanced up at Draco first, seeing that he didn't seem to have any regrets, and then over at Hermione. She had an eyebrow raised at him, and dared to ask, "And who are you going with?"

"I'm not sure that's any of your business Granger, so I suppose you'll just have to wait and find out," Draco told her, to which Hermione hummed out a knowing response.

"Zabini was saying that you were being awfully secretive about your date as well," she said. When both you and Draco looked at her curiously, she added, "What? You two are allowed to chat with your new Potions partner and I can't?"

You furrowed your eyebrows at her and said, "Draco, do you mind fetching me a bit of parchment from the front desk?"

Draco looked at you confusingly and you silently begged him with your eyes to do as you asked without any questions. He eventually caved, standing from his seat as he spoke, "Um, sure, yeah."

You smiled at him as a thank you and as soon as he was out of earshot, you looked at Hermione and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she innocently replied. When she saw the suspicious look on your face, Hermione couldn't help but laugh and admit, "Oh come on, you really didn't think I didn't know, did you?"

"Hermione!" you said out of frustration, lightly pushing her on the shoulder as she continued laughing, "How long have you known?"

"Please, who else would it have been?" Hermione posed as a response to your question.

"Then why do all that?" you asked her, referring to the mock interrogation that just occurred.

"That was just a bit of fun really," Hermione said. You scoffed at that, causing her to remark, "Malfoy was a twit to us for years, I think I'm allowed this."

You laughed at her statement, "You've got me there."

"I don't know how much help I'll be, but you'll have my support at the Revere," Hermione told you as Draco returned, a bit of parchment in his hand.

Your attention remained on Hermione as you graciously said, "Thank you, Mione."

"You know always I've got your back," she said, glancing over at Draco as he sat down again, "and that includes your mystery man as well."

Draco's eyes widened a bit and he looked over at you to ask, "I thought you hadn't told anyone?" 

"She didn't have to tell me anything," Hermione answered for you with a laugh.

You rolled your eyes and said, "She is the _'brightest witch of our age'_ for a reason."

Draco glanced between you and Hermione before nervously asking your friend, "And, you're okay with this?"

"So long as you don't give me another reason to punch you, I think everything will be just fine," Hermione answered, earning a laugh out of you as you recalled your third year.

After that interaction, Draco spent more time with you in the library throughout the week, not particularly caring if strange looks were thrown your way. Especially considering that everyone would know that he was your secret date to the ball in a matter of days.

When the day of the ball finally did arrive, you spent the majority of the afternoon in your shared room with Hermione, both mentally preparing yourself and physically getting ready for the night. You were sat on your bed, slipping on your shoes for the night to go with the beautiful dress you bought with Draco a few weeks prior, when Hermione finished getting ready herself and asked you, "Are you ready?"

"Yes and no," you honestly replied, standing to test out your balance in the new heels, "I'm actually very excited to be going with Draco, it's everyone else that I'm nervous about."

Hermione nodded in understanding then suggested, "You should probably get out of here before Harry and Ron start lingering in the common room."

"No that's alright, Draco and I are meeting slightly after you lot leave," you informed her.

She grew confused and pointed out, "The two of you will almost definitely have all eyes on you if you walk in later together."

"I think that's what he wants, actually," you said with a small chuckle.

"Can't say I'm surprised there," Hermione said smiling, "I best be off then, but I will see you and your date shortly."

You smiled in return as she left, then took a deep breath in and out as soon as the door shut behind her, bracing yourself for whatever may happen tonight. At least a good twenty minutes had passed before you left the common room as well, heading off to the courtyard you and Draco agreed to meet at.

He was sitting on the very same bench he always did when you found him, and his face lit up as he took in the sight of you. Draco stood up and softly complimented you, "You look absolutely beautiful, Y/N."

"You're not too bad yourself," you said in reply, thankful the night helped to cover the blush that rose to your cheeks. You then told him, "It's not too late to back out and arrive separately, you know."

"After you made me wear this bloody thing? Fat chance," Draco dismissed, referring to the vest you had decided on after your dress was purchased during your shopping trip. 

You let out a laugh and countered, "Ready to be the talk of the school then?"

"Darling, I think we already are," he replied, the term of endearment making you even more thankful for the dark of the night. Draco held out his arm to you, "Shall we?"

You took another deep breath and then took his arm, and off you went to the ball with your date Draco Malfoy. Your heart began beating harder and faster the closer you got to the Great Hall, your grip on Draco's arm tightening with each step. Just before the two of you descended down the stairs outside the hall, you inhaled and exhaled one final time. Draco looked down at you to make you sure you were okay and ready, to which you smiled and nodded before stepping forward.

It was just as Hermione said, everyone's eyes were on you and Draco as you walked down the steps before the Great Hall for a number of reasons. The first simply being you.

Your dress was a floor-length red with long sleeves that undoubtedly made you stand out in a crowd as you literally shined wherever you went. With your gold earrings dangling and a few gold rings around your fingers, there was no question that you were a proud member of Gryffindor house and you embodied that fully.

Another reason for the eyes that were instantly drawn to you was the blonde beside you with who you had locked arms with. Even after all the rumors and potential scenarios your classmates had gone through, hardly anyone actually expected for you and Draco to turn up at the ball together.

The third and possibly most shocking reason as to why you two had become the center attention was that, true to his words, Draco had worn whatever you wanted. When people caught eye of the dark Gryffindor red vest he sported underneath his black dress robes, they could hardly believe it. The epitome of Slytherin house confidently wore the colors of Gryffindor house, and wore them well at that.

Everyone that you were close with had already found their place in the Great Hall, causing you to nervously dart your eyes around when you entered. You were breath-taken when you took in your surroundings and how well it had been decorated for the night, reminding you of the Yule Ball from a few years ago.

There were circular tables scattered around the outskirts of the hall for people to take a seat at before McGonagall gave a speech in honor of those who risked their lives during the Battle of Hogwarts, and it didn't take you long to find the table the Golden Trio were sat at since several of the Weasleys had returned for the night and their ginger hair was all too easy to spot.

You smiled slightly at Hermione who was already smiling at you as Draco spoke, "Potter looks positively pleased."

Your eyes moved over to see Harry a few chairs away from Hermione, looking anything but pleased. Ron and Ginny looked more surprised than anything, but Harry? He looked as though someone had literally stabbed his back in an act of betrayal.

"We don't have to sit near them," you told Draco, averting your eyes from Harry to survey what other open seats there were.

"Not like we could if we wanted to, considering the whole Weasley army showed up," Draco commented. You shook your head and began dragging him over to two empty seats you saw near Neville and Luna. When Draco realized where you were headed he asked, "Longbottom? Really?"

"Neville's a sweetheart, get over yourself," you said, "Unless you'd rather sit with your friends?"

Draco glanced around to find Blaise, seated with Daphne Greengrass, with bewilderment etched on his face. Not a single soul at the table wore a pleasant expression on their face. You teased, "Is that Parkinson? I'm sure she missed you loads."

"Alright fine, Longbottom it is," Draco resigned, causing you to laugh as you headed towards your destination.

You took a seat beside Luna, Neville on the other side of her and Draco on the other side of you, and she greeted, "Hello Y/N, you look radiant tonight."

"Thank you, Luna," you replied with a smile.

"Hello to you too," Luna addressed Draco, causing him to look up at her, "You look rather nice as well. I quite like that color on you."

Your smile grew wider as you glanced at Draco react to Luna's compliment. He hadn't expected to receive something that sounded so genuine from anyone, and you could tell he wasn't quite sure what to say or do.

Lucky for him, McGonagall took to the podium at that moment to address everyone in the Great Hall, "Welcome all! It's so wonderful to see all the old and familiar faces in these halls again."

The headmistress went on to essentially recap the last few years at Hogwarts, describing events the led up to the Battle of Hogwarts and the battle itself. A lot of the first years were enthralled by the story, hanging onto McGonagall's every word, while some of the older students seemed to be lost in their own head as the story was retold.

You could see Draco tense up beside you as McGonagall mentioned the Death Eaters that snuck their way into the castle your sixth year. The headmistress was careful not to mention any names or revealing details about the situation, but you figured half the school already knew that it was Draco who helped the Death Eaters into the castle.

As McGonagall began talking about the death of Albus Dumbledore, you reached underneath the table to grab one of Draco's hands that rested in his lap. Perplexity swam around in his eyes as he looked up at you and you simply gave him a reassuring squeeze and smiled.

Your hands remained interlocked throughout the rest of McGonagall's speech, only separating as she began her closing remarks.

"Those who fought against The Dark Lord and his followers, please rise," McGonagall said. Neville and Luna slowly but surely rose to their feet as the room filled with applause. Draco was the one to release your hand, signaling you to stand up as well. You stood and looked around the room at your friends you went through hell and back with, Draco gazing up at you in admiration for a second before focusing his eyes down at the table in front of him. McGonagall then proceeded, "We ask that you make your way to the floor to be a part of the first dance at the first-ever Revere Ball."

You directed your attention down towards Draco, only to see that he seemingly zoned out of everything happening around him. Reaching a hand down to him, you said, "Come on, let's dance."

Draco's eyes met yours, then traveled to your extended hand. He hesitated a moment before accepting, standing up as he did so. The two of you walked out to the dance floor hand in hand, fully aware of the watchful eyes that were on you once again. You noted his change of behavior and carefully asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Why did you come here with me?" Draco voiced his thoughts. Your face scrunched up as you were confused by his sudden question, "This whole thing is honoring these heroes that I actively worked against."

"Not by choice," you quickly added as the two of you faced each other, getting situated on the dance floor, "You know better than I that you were robbed of that, given your family history."

"Doesn't change what I've done," Draco said, his eyes cast at the ground.

"Sure, but _you_ have changed," you told him, taking a step closer to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. Draco gently placed a hand on your waist and looked back into your eyes as you continued, "The Draco I've gotten to know these last few months has regrets, has changed his values, and has seemingly become an overall better person."

You could tell that he didn't automatically believe your words as his eyes scanned your face for any sign of a lie or dishonesty, but he didn't have much time as the music started soon after you finished your statement. It did seem like your words had some sort of positive effect on Draco though, for the two of you graciously danced with one another as if it were the most natural thing in the world. 

With every twirl, you smiled wide and Draco couldn't help but smile along with you. The two of you stayed out there for a couple of consistent songs before you started tiring. Draco told you, "Go and rest your pretty little feet, I'll get us some drinks."

You nodded with a smile and headed back to where you sat earlier tonight, absolutely beaming. When you took your seat, you glanced around the hall to possibly find a friend to chat with, but saw most of them enjoying time with their dates on the dance floor. All but...

"A word, please?" you heard from the other side of you. You turned to face the boy you were almost hoping not to deal with at all tonight. 

You sighed and started, "Harry--"

"Malfoy? Really?" he cut you off as he took a seat, "Out of all the people here, he's your date?"

"Yeah, yeah he is," you told him, no hesitation.

"Is this some kind of twisted joke? Did I do something to you?" Harry asked, trying to formulate some kind of reasoning that would make sense to him.

You shook your head and nearly laughed at his absurdity, "What? No, I just, I've actually come to enjoy his company, alright? Is that so hard to believe?"

 _"Yes,"_ Harry stressed and you rolled your eyes. He leaned in closer to you from where he sat, "Y/N, this is the same Draco Malfoy that tormented us for years, that insulted everyone last one of us, that brought _Death Eaters_ into the castle!"

"Yeah, and he's the same Draco Malfoy that bought Ron's Jelly Slugs a couple weeks ago, that I've caught singing songs that he wrote after dark, and that smelled me in his bloody Amortentia!" you retorted, not truly thinking about what you were saying.

"He what?" Harry said, his voice lowering a bit at your accidental reveal and you instantly realized your mistake.

"I shouldn't have said that," you muttered in a panic, thinking about how to change the topic at hand.

Harry glanced around to ensure no one was nearby as he asked, "And what did you smell?"

You locked eyes with Harry, not particularly keen on furthering the current conversation or answering his question. An escape fortunately presented itself, as George Weasley chose then to make his way to the table and say, "Don't mean to interrupt, but does the lady fancy a dance?"

"No, George, we're sort of in the middle of someth--"

"The lady would love a dance actually," you cut Harry off, leaping up out of your seat and silently thanking the universe for giving you an out. You quickly walked out onto the dance floor, not even stopping to see if George was following you.

"Seemed a bit tense back there," George told you when he caught up to where you had strutted off. 

He slipped an arm around your waist while you put yours on his shoulder, the two of you slowly swaying to the music as you said, "Harry's just being... Harry."

"Not too fond of your date, is he?" George asked, earning a nod of confirmation from you. He cocked his head then continued, "Can't say I expected you to show up with that bloke either, but then again, I suppose you always had a thing for troublemakers."

You looked up at him with confused eyes, an amused grin across your face as you questioned, "Surely you're not referring to yourself?"

"I think I treated you rather nicely at the last ball, are you saying that didn't spark something in you?"

"Oh, please," you said through the immense laughter George's comment caused, "We danced maybe three times and then I had to leave because Ron and Hermione had gotten into some kind of argument and you stayed behind to dance the night away with Alicia Spinnet."

George was laughing as well as he responded, "Oh, so just because you were robbed of a good time meant I had to sacrifice my night as well?"

"You could've checked on your brother, you idiot," you told him, lightly smacking his shoulder as you did so.

He quickly dismissed that idea, "Nah, Harry had it under control."

Your laughter only grew at his words, nearly causing you to miss the sound of someone clearing their throat behind George's back. You both turned to see who wanted your attention, being met with Draco's cold grey eyes. He asked, "Mind if I steal my date back for the night, Weasley?"

"By all means," George said, taking a step away from you and gesturing for Draco to his place. Draco took a few steps towards you and over his shoulder, you could see George wiggling his eyebrows at you before adding in a wink as well. 

You simply shook your head at him and refocused your attention on the blonde in front of you, who had seemed to be put in a sour mood for a second time tonight. You wrapped your arms around his neck and asked, "What's wrong?"

Draco carefully put his arms around you as well as he spoke, "I left for two minutes and you're back on the dance floor with him?"

"George was just playing hero really, Harry came up to me and George got me out of that unpleasant conversation," you informed Draco, yet his eyes wouldn't fully meet yours. You dared to add, "Don't tell me you're jealous?"

Draco scoffed instantly, "Jealous of a Weasley? Yeah right."

You saw right through his little lie and pressed on, "Oh my God, you are. Why are you jealous?"

It was then that Draco decided to look you in the eyes, about to try and muster out another lie but falling short when he realized that it was practically useless. He sighed, "Why is it so hard to lie to you?"

A smile spread across your face at that, feeling somewhat ecstatic that he believed that to be true. You gave him a moment to collect his thoughts and pick his words before Draco finally confessed, "I don't like that you could be in the middle of a room with Weasley and no one would bat an eye, but the minute I step out here, everyone's glancing over their shoulder to make sure you're alright."

"Well that's not entirely true," you tried to comfort, glancing around the room and then pointing out, "Hermione's not."

"Granger's probably just trying to make sure she didn't waste her efforts on me, I wouldn't call that a win," Draco told you.

His words visibly confused you, and asked for clarification, "What do you mean?"

"She didn't tell you?" Draco was surprised, and considered whether or not he should say anything or not, but decided to continue when seeing how lost you were, "That day that I found you tucked away in your little corner of the library, she's the one who told me where you were."

It was your turn to be surprised, your jaw dropping ever so slightly at this piece of information. You thought out loud, "That meddling little witch."

Draco chuckled a bit and said, "I never thought I'd be so indebted to her, but who knows if I'd be standing here with you if it weren't for her."

"Brightest witch of our age," you remarked, shaking your head as the song you were currently dancing to came to an end. The band began playing a different piece that sounded vaguely familiar, and it wasn't until the chorus hit that you realized why. You looked over at the stage where they stood as they sang.

_["We belong](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voU6ITLJdn4&ab_channel=TomFelton-Topic) in a song that I've written  
About how you and I have the best of times  
Cause I found what I need to get through,   
It's all in the shape of you.  
Cause I found what I need to get through,   
And it's you."_

Your eyes made their way back to your date who already had his gaze focused on you as your mind worked. With a raised brow, you asked, "Is this your song?"

"I may have tipped the band off," Draco honestly told you, "And quite frankly, it's really your song."

"You... you wrote this about me?"

"About you, for you, all of it, yeah," Draco nodded, nervously smiling down at you while your heart felt as though it were about to beat out of your chest. He continued, "Y/N, you have made returning to Hogwarts infinitely better than I ever imagined it being. I think a large reason that I'm still here and not at the ministry as my parents wanted is you."

His confession had you beaming, a wide smile on your face as you teased, "And then who would teach all the future young wizards about Potions?"

"No one's believed in me the way that you do," Draco said in complete sincerity, maintaining eye contact with you as he spoke, "And so, I guess what I'm getting at is, I'd be honored if you let me take you out on a real date. No dramatics, no fancy decorations or anything, just us."

Your heart swelled up and you were momentarily speechless as your mind was reeling. Just as you were about to get it together, nod your head, and tell him yes, shouting and some sort of crashing could be heard out the open Great Hall door and down the hall. The voices grew louder and you began to make out the spells that were being yelled, seemingly with the goal to reach the Great Hall.

Draco and you exchanged a concerned look at one another, before looking back at the open door, your whole world faltering when you finally saw the cause of the noise as they rounded the corner. Draco froze beside you and you subconsciously stood protectively in front of him as you reached for the wand in your pocket, wanting to keep him far away from the unexpected guests that had stormed in. 

The unexpected guests? Death Eaters. 


End file.
